Thomas Edison, co-founder of General Electric, said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” So often I hear the words, “I am thinking of doing” followed by an assortment of different statements.

I received a phone call with the following statement and questions, “I am thinking of using a secret shopper service. Have you ever used one? What did you think of it? Did it help your company? What information did the secret shopper look for?”

Yes, my company used a secret shopper. How you use a secret shopper service gives it relevance. If you retain a secret shopper service, you must have a plan in mind. After you
create the plan, put it in writing. When you write a plan, you will have consistency in the
performance of the plan.

I believe the secret shopper program helped my company. It put all of the CSRs
on the same page when they serviced customers. There was a dress code in place for the CSRs.
If the CSRs dress according to a standard, they should be able to verbally deal with
customers to a standard that you have pre-determined.

This brings me to the final question regarding what the secret shopper looked
for. The secret shopper company received a list created by my company. The list used for CSR and
company evaluation was based on the CSR training and the CSR sales meetings.

The secret shopper collected two pages of information. The first page dealt with
the drop-off of the customer’s items and the second page dealt with the pick-up of those items. In addition to the information about the CSR, information regarding the store and its
parking lot was gathered.

At the time of drop-off, the following information was graded:

• Parking lot clean and litter free.

• Enough parking spaces.

• Easy access into the parking lot.

• Name or description of the CSR. My CSRs had name badges so their names should
always be available.

• Number of other customers in the store. This information was important because
it would affect the length of the visit.

The CSR and store grades were on a scale of 1 to 10. The grades were on the
following subjects.

1. Acknowledged promptly. Even if you have a store full of customers, it is
important that the client be immediately acknowledged.

2. Smile and give a warm and friendly greeting. I cannot tell you how important
a smile can be. When I interviewed new hires, the smile was one of the first things I looked
for. You never want to hire a person who does not have a great smile. I had a counter manager
who hired a young woman with a great smile but when she was not smiling, she looked like she
had a frown on her face. I was on vacation when she was hired.

3. Show enthusiasm and make good eye contact. One thing I learned many years ago
while in a photography class was “The eyes are the window of the soul.” The same holds true when dealing with a customer. Making eye contact with a customer is very important,
and something neglected by most people when they are training their sales staff.

4. Neat and appropriate in appearance. (White shirt or white blouse. Dark
colored pants or skirt. Necktie or scarf.) Yes, the shopper checked out how the CSR was dressed.
When I walk into a drycleaning business and see the CSR wearing a t-shirt and short shorts,
I know immediately the business is at a low level of professionalism.

5. Asked you to point out any stains or repairs? This is very important. While
inquiring about the subject of stains and repairs the CSR should be inspecting the garments that
are dropped off. Customers frequently are not aware of an open seam or a spot on the seat of
their dress or pants.

6. Wearing a name badge. There was no excuse for an employee not to wear a name
badge. If a new hire was a trainee, that information was in addition to the name on the
badge.

7. Use your name three times during your visit. I cannot emphasize enough how
important this subject is. This subject was part of a CSR’s initial training. If the customer is new to the store, the CSR filled out an information card with the customer’s name. From that point on, it should be very easy to use the client’s name. Do not ask the customer to fill out any information!

8. Smile and say “thank you.” Here is that smile again. No grouches allowed. Thank you are two of the most important words of any transaction. The CSRs were trained that “thank you” must be followed by the customer’s name.

9. Were you told about another one of our services? No matter what a customer
drops off, the customer does not drop off something for each service that you offer. If a
customer does drop off something for each service that you offer, you do not offer enough services.

10. When you mentioned that one of your garments had not been properly cleaned
or pressed when you picked up before, was the response by the employee a positive one? In
addition to grading this subject, room was left for the shopper to comment.

When pick-up was graded, only questions 9 and 10 were changed. Question 9 became, “Count back the number of pieces.” Question 10, “Did you receive friendly, positive service from the employee?” The other eight questions and store information remained the same.

Those ten subjects, at either drop-off or pick-up, could bring a CSR a bonus
check for scoring 100 percent. This is a win-win situation. If your CSRs know they are being
graded and they will get a bonus check for performing those ten topics correctly, you will have an
outstanding sales staff.

This is the final information that the shopper collected. What time did you
enter the store? What time were you served? What time did you complete your visit? Do you feel
the wait time was acceptable? Was your overall assessment a favorable experience?

Room for these comments was provided at the bottom of page 1. The secret shopper
service visited both locations once per month. If I wanted to secret shop a competitor,
I could use this service for that task. In that event, I would want to learn about the collection
of customer information. I would also learn if “thank you” and “miss you” programs were in place.

In the event you need a question or questions answered, do not hesitate to send
me an email or call. As you have read, I will respond to most questions, no matter the subject
matter.

How the secret shopper works

Harvey Gershenson operates Sterling Drycleaning Consulting and is a former owner of Sterling Dry Cleaners. A second-generation drycleaner, he has been in the industry since he was in high school. He has served as president of the Cleaners and Dyers Guild of Los Angeles and has served on the boards of directors of the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute and the California Cleaners Association. He is also a guest lecturer for the California Department of Corrections. He can be reached by e-mail at consultme@msn.com or phone at (310) 261-2623. His web site is drycleanerconsulting.com.